Lionel Messi’s Delhi Arrival Delayed by Fog as GOAT India Tour Reaches Final Leg

Lionel Messi, the legendary Argentine football player, whose coming to Delhi for the final stage of his GOAT India Tour 2025 was a highly anticipated event, was late on Monday because thick fog disrupted the charter flight operations in northern India and as a result the operations were affected.

Messi had just finished performing in Kolkata, Hyderabad and Mumbai and was in Mumbai; he was scheduled to arrive in Delhi at dawn. The weather got in the way and the World Cup winner spent his time at the airport in Mumbai before taking his next flight to Delhi.

Busy Timetable at Arun Jaitley Stadium

Notwithstanding the hold-up, it is anticipated that Messi will keep a very busy schedule in Delhi, where all his public activities are set to occur at the Arun Jaitley Stadium (previously known as Feroz Shah Kotla).

The programme includes:

A celebrity football exhibition match

A football clinic for children

A stage ceremony and GOAT Cup exhibition match

Several high-profile private meetings

The stadium was opened up by the event organizers at 11:30 am and every person who came was asked to find their seats before the major event which was scheduled to start at 2:30 pm. The time of Messi coming in for the gala match is around 3:30 pm, and afterwards, he will be in a football clinic with 30 children. The main event on stage is set for 4:20 pm.

High-Profile Meetings and VIP Presence

Later, Messi is very likely to have a private meet-and-greet with him. He will tentatively meet Prime Minister Modi, followed by visits to the Chief Justice and the Chief of Defence Staff, which speaks of the high-profile nature of the visit.

Among the other celebrities, also, Virat Kohli is expected to be there at the stadium event.

Traffic Restrictions Across Central Delhi

Due to the huge crowd and security, the Delhi Traffic Police decided to to hold the central part of the city completely from noon until 5 PM on Monday. No parking will be permitted at the stadium, and violators will face towing and fines.

The authorities recommended that the commuters not use the major routes near the event and instead take public transport, like the Metro and buses, to prevent traffic.

Tour So Far: Mixed Experiences

Although Messi’s visit to Hyderabad and Mumbai went smoothly, the first leg in Kolkata saw disordered scenes because of crowd mismanagement which resulted into investigations and arrests.

In spite of logistical problems, the enthusiasm of fans is maintained as India is about to witness the last chapter of Lionel Messi’s historic GOAT India Tour 2025, which will mark one of the most high-profile football visits in the history of the country.